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Issue 4 Volume 4

April 2006

US Army Embraces LEED Standard
FacilitiesNet News April 18, 2006
www.facilitiesnet.com
The U.S. Army has announced that it will transition from its own Sustainable Project Rating Tool (SPiRiT) in use since 2002, to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System for the design and construction of its buildings beginning in 2008, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced.

According to USGBC, the Federal Government, the nation's largest building owner, has been among the top users of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system, and has also helped to develop and improve the rating system through participation in USGBC member committees. LEED buildings demonstrate better life cycle economic performance than convention construction, use less energy and water, and have a smaller environmental footprint.

The U.S. Navy, Air Force and General Services Administration, Department of Energy, Department of State and Department of Energy all reference and use LEED for the design and construction of their buildings. Seven percent of the LEED projects that are currently in construction are owned by the Federal Government, USGBC says.

The Army says the goal of transitioning from the SPiRiT rating system to LEED was an effort to integrate the principles and practices of sustainability on their installations as they minimize the impacts and total ownership costs of Army systems, materials, facilities and operations. The Army will be required to build all their new construction projects to the LEED Silver standard.

Created by the USGBC, the LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national leadership standard for developing high-performance green buildings.

LEED provides a comprehensive framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. Based on well-founded scientific standards, LEED emphasizes state of the art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. LEED recognizes achievements and promotes expertise in green building through a comprehensive system offering project certification, professional accreditation, training and practical resources.

The SPiRiT program was originally developed to provide guidance to support the consideration of sustainable design and development principles in Army installation planning decisions and infrastructure projects. Its intent was that it would be used throughout the design process to guide the project towards a sustainable solution as well as to score and rate the resulting facility. SPiRiT was modeled after the LEED Rating System.
Inspector’s Corner
Indoor Air Quality & Homeowner Safety
by Bernardo Lopez, Regional Manager
      Why is the air quality inside a home important? Following is a brief description and some simple advice to help anyone in need of help with the IAQ (indoor air quality) in their home. In my personal opinion, every house should be safe, healthy, and comfortable. IAQ poses a big problem if certain conditions are present inside the home.             Let’s begin with a simple walk-through of a home. I have been in many homes that contain various chemical cleaning products in the bathrooms, kitchens, and utility rooms. These chemicals pose several potential hazards from leaking into the cabinets or onto the floor to a small child trying to make a mix of chemicals in the sink or toilet just to see what happens. This becomes an issue when your HVAC system is on and redistributing any air-borne chemicals throughout the home. Some people are highly sensitive to anything in the air and as soon as they inhale a small amount of contaminated partciles, they feel ill effects. A quick fix to this problem is to store any products that may cause this situation outside in the garage or a weather-stripped closet. Another factor is the maintenance of the air handler on your HVAC system. If you have not changed the filter in your home in the last 3 months you are probably breathing small particles that may contain dust, pet dander, and any variety of airborne particulates. Better filters are available now that are inexpensive and rated to catch smaller particles of dust.

               The utility room is the biggest contributor of bad IAQ due to the dryer. The air being exhausted to the exterior is not always 100% venting. The cabinet of the dryer sometimes releases lint from clothing. If the dryer filter is clogged with lint, the next dryer cycle’s lint is not caught by the filter and thrown into the leaky cabinet of the dryer.

             The following is a quick checklist to look for items in your home:

• Excessive dust, pollen, pet dander, odors.
• Solution: find source and eliminate it or quarantine to one location.
• Cleaning chemicals, combustion appliances.
• Solution: store outside conditioned space or in a sealed closet.
• HVAC system dirty, excessive dust also.
• Solution: Change you filters, have annual checks by professional, Check for opening to attic that allow dust into the home, etc.

There is more information concerning IAQ so, look future articles in the subject in coming months. GWS offers services that address these issues. For more information, please contact our corporate office @ 1-888-488-0206.

Announcements:
Affordable Comfort 2006 in Austin, TX
The ACI Home Performance Conference of 2006 will be held in Austin, Texas from May 22 - 26 at the Hilton Austin on 4th Street in the heart of downtown.
For more information, please visit www.affordablecomfort.org